The Promise
by MarcellusMiro66
Summary: Rancis made a promise to Vanellope 15 years ago. 15 years later...and he still kept it. (Shifts back and forth from 1997 to 2012. Also, the first chapter is being rewritten to make it a little longer than it already is...)


__Hi, everyone,__ _ ** _MarcellusMiro66_**_ _ _here! This is a__ _ ** _Wreck-It Ralph_**_ _ ** _(2012)_**_ _ _story with a superhero/romantic dramedy twist. This serves as a prequel to the film's events, which will undergo a slight reworking without completely abandoning that core premise. Think__ _ ** _My Fair Lady_**_ _ ** _(1964)_**_ _ _and__ _ ** _Annie Hall_**_ _**_(1977)_**_ _ _Meet__ _ ** _Lost In Translation_**_ _ ** _(2003)_**_ _ _and__ _ ** _Super_**_ _ ** _(2010)_**_ _ _.__

 _ _The story first takes place in 1997, 15 years before the events of__ _ ** _Wreck-It Ralph_**_ _ _took place. Rancis meets Vanellope (when she was still a glitch) outside his house and, feeling sympathy for her, decides to take her in. Of course, because he did, this act of heroism is considered "harboring a fugitive" under King Candy's rule. However, he also decides to keep an eye on her for the time being and begins to fall in love with her in the process, despite his best intentions.__

 _ _Because there is a 15-year gap, I'm willing to extend the chapters to 20+ in order to further flesh out the romance between Vanellope and Rancis. One chapter may take a full year (Chapter 1 is 1997, Chapter 2 is 1998, etc.) while short standalone stories (called "sidesteps") will also be published; it may also be presented in a nonlinear fashion, flashbacking and flashforwarding between the past and the present. Finally, these chapter titles may be references to 1990s/2000s culture (or one preceding the 1990's).__

 _ _Enjoy! If you can...__

* * *

 _ ** _ **Chapter 1: "**_**_ _ ** _ **Sugar Rush Beauty**_**_ _ ** _ **" (1997)**_**_

 _ ** _ **Part 1: "**_**_ _ ** _ **Alone**_**_ _ ** _ **" (by The Bee Gees)**_**_

 _ ** _ **(June 1997)  
(7:00 PM)**_**_

 _ _Rancis Fluggerbutter would not be the first person you'd normally associated with kindness and generosity. In fact, we're not sure either of those two fit with him in the same sentence if one were to mention him. True, while he did have his rare moments, he was written off as primarily vain and narcissistic, despite his protests to state otherwise. If you were one of the many spectators overseeing one of the many races in__ _ ** _Sugar Rush_**_ _ _, you can catch a brief yet plain glimpse of one blonde racer taking notice of his upward cowlick in his kart mirror whilst prepping for the race at hand. In recent times, he learned to live and roll with it.__

 _ _What was also true was that he was close friends with Gloyd Orangeboar, Swizzle Malarkey, Taffyta Muttonfudge, and Candlehead. The former two because, besides being boys, they shared personal interests; the latter two because, besides being boundless, they shared professional interests. He, Taffyta, and Candlehead were all specifically chosen by King Candy for a very secret mission: keeping a mysterious threat against the game known simply as__ _ ** _"The Glitch"_**_ _ _from racing, a means that allowed the game to be destroyed. As a result, they took their jobs seriously – as in "Seriously, what were you guys thinking?" – and did the one thing the King told them specifically not to do. To put it mildly, Candlehead suggested to the both of them that they would need help to make the job easier. Being the more grounded and level-headed one of the trio, you would expect Taffyta to explain to her the dangers of involving citizens in the line of duty. Instead, because the citizens in question were their best friends, she could merely agree with (and even__ _ ** _congratulate_**_ _ _) her as they left the castle. Even with his self-proclaimed self-centeredness, Rancis couldn't help but feel appalled by his friend's rather out-of-character moment.__

 _ _And so, here he was, preparing for bed after a long day of game-destruction-preventing work. Honestly, Rancis looked worse, but not this worse. His eyes had bags hanging out, his mouth had remnants of dried drool, and his hair had a significant lack of his signature cowlick. That last detail spurred him into action, prompting to do whatever he could to bring it back. When he did on the third try, he was in the midst of the process's perfection when a noise from outside caught his attention. Fear immediately overcame him as he descended downstairs to investigate, snatching a pipe wrench on the way down. Turning around to hear the same noise coming from the backyard, he opened the door to find no signs of property destruction...yet. An electronic__ _ ** _*Bloop*_**_ _ _followed by a flash of blue light sped from one trash bin to another, Rancis jumping and yelping in fright as it occurred.__

 _ ** _"W-who's there?"_**_ _ _Rancis called out in a questioning manner, the pipe wrench being clutched by his side. The intruder's voice called out to him in return:__

 ** _ _ **"Please...don't hurt me. I was just...looking for food."**__**

 _ _It was a girl. A girl with a high-pitched voice was close to cries. Rancis softened in response and hid his melee weapon behind his back.__

 ** _ _ **"Just come out. I'm not going to hurt you."**__**

 _ _Okay, it wasn't completely true, but if the intruder was a girl, he couldn't bear to hit her. After a few moments, the intruder stepped out from behind the bins and his face fell even further. It was a young girl with fair skin, rosy cheeks and hazel eyes; her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail by an equally black licorice scrunchie and decorated with a various assortment of small candies. She wore a dark pink hoodie with strawberry bootlace tassels, a dark blue skirt that was close to tattered, matching leggings that were striped with red and white, and plain black boots. Her hazel eyes were stained with dry tears becoming wet again.__

 _ _'__ _ _Whoa...she's cute. Why haven't I seen her before?__ _ _' Rancis mentally chastised himself for thinking such thoughts before returning to the task beforehand. The girl sniffled and wiped her nose, never giving a clue to her real identity. Taking notice of her current appearance (and the fact that her hands were waving weirdly), the realization suddenly hit Rancis.__

 ** _ _ **"Are you...the Glitch that King Candy informed us about?"**__**

 _ _The girl's expression suddenly soured and huffed in frustration, tears still flowing from behind those hazel eyes.__ _ ** _"Great. Not only have I been branded a fugitive against my own will, but the King actually had the nerve to come up with a demeaning nickname for me."_**_ _ _She then remembered where she was and who he was, turning away out of shame.__

 _ ** _"Wait."_**_ _ _Rancis carfully approached the girl.__ _ ** _ **"So what you're saying is...you're innocent? You don't want to hurt anyone or destroy games?"**_**_

 _ _The girl shot Rancis a cross between an appalled and apologetic look.__ _ ** _ **"Of course not. Why would I want to hurt someone? Everything King Candy told you...is a lie."**_**_

 _ _'__ _ _A lie? But how? He's the ruler of__ _ ** _Sugar Rush_**_ _ _, she's a lowlife criminal! Then again... King Candy seemed a little too eager to get rid of the Glitch as soon as possible.__ _ _'__

 ** _ _ **"I know it sounds crazy, but you have to believe me. I don't know what he's really planning, but I know it's not good."**__**

 _ _Rancis thought it over for a moment before shaking and subsequently nodding in agreement.__ _ ** _ **"It's not crazy. I believe you."**_**_

 _ _The girl was taken aback, but in a good way.__ _ ** _ **"You do?"**_**_

 _ ** _"Yeah. Honestly, the King has been acting a little off. Plus, he doesn't seem like one to give up without a fight when it came to something he wanted."_**_ _ _Rancis gently placed the pipe wrench as he approached the girl.__ _ ** _"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. You can trust me."_**_ _ _He then held out a hand for her to grab.__

 ** _ _ **"My name is Rancis Fluggerbutter."**__**

 _ _And grab it she did. Pulling her up and unintentionally getting a much better look at her ('__ _ _Whoa, she's seriously cute...__ _ _'), Rancis was distracted by her beauty to the point he almost missed her name.__

 ** _ _ **"Vanellope. Vanellope von Schweetz."**__**

 _ _'__ _ _Vanellope...von Schweetz? Huh. It sounds like she can be royalty even if she doesn't **look** like it.__ _ _' Vanellope's stomach grumbled, reminding her and Rancis why she was here.__

 _ _ **"You hungry?"** __

__**"Famished,"** A weary Vanellope sheepishly nodded in response. Rancis could only smile as he led her inside his house.__

* * *

 ** _ _ **15 Years Later. . .**__**

Rancis gazed at his reflection in the mirror as he straightened his bowtie. __What are you doing?__

"What are __you__ doing?"

Turning find to find Gloyd leaning in the doorway, Rancis huffed in frustration. "I don't know what to do, Gloyd."

"Look, it's not that difficult; it's like pulling teeth. You just say **__**'I Love You'**__** and wait for the reply."

"That's what I'm worried about. What if she __doesn't__? And if she does, it's **__**'I'm sorry, but I don't love you back'**__**?"

"Dude, you two have known for at least five years. I'm pretty sure she's got the hots for you as well. Even when she was a Glitch, you still found her appealing. Honestly, what's there to worry about?"

 _ _... Oh, crud. I didn't tell anyone of my friends the truth. Not even Gloyd.__ Even so, Rancis flashed a smile and chuckled (whether or not it was out of nervousness, he did not know). "You're right. There shouldn't be anything to worry about. Thanks, Gloyd."

"Hey, I'm your wingman. Who else would be there to give you life advice?" As Gloyd swung an arm over Rancis's shoulder, the latter's chuckles increased.

"Don't say that. I like you and all, but...you're the worst wingman in the history of wingmen."

"Well, I could've been worse," Gloyd retorted as he and Rancis left for Game Central Station. Boarding the train heading to _Hero's Duty_ , the duo held on to the handlebars as their mode of transportation almost nearly (and _literally_ ) went off the rails. When they arrived, they along with the other passengers stumbled out and shook their heads in disorientation, losing their balances and falling all over the place. Rancis and Gloyd barely avoid the same fate by using each other as a support shoulder.

"Crud, I hate it when that happens," Gloyd groaned.

"Believe me, that train ride's not the only thing that's making me sick," Rancis turned his gaze to the wedding chapel high above a hill.

"Dude, stop worrying and man up. Believe me when I say this, Rancis: Vanellope's an open-minded lovable rogue who would be head over heels for you any day."

"You don't know that, Gloyd, so I don't believe you...yet. Besides, didn't she try to have us executed for our crimes against the game's ruler?"

 _. . ._

"Ok, ok. Don't make me think that I forgot about that. We did deserve that, even if that was King Candy messing with the code. Plus, she was just joking around with us."

"Still though..."

The walk upstairs took a while, but it was worth it. Rancis carrying an unconscious Gloyd on his back while doing it, however? Not so much. When they finally reached the front entrance, the first thing Rancis did was promptly dump Gloyd onto the ground and enter inside, not even waiting for him to recover out of time-allotted concerns. Pushing open the double doors, he looked around to find every character from their respective games dressed to impress for the marvelous occasion. He had no visual of the bride or groom right now, so he can only assume that they were both getting ready.

"Rancis!"

"Fluggerbutter!"

Rancis's head shot up to find two of his friends (aka two of his painful reminders of the old days) running towards him: Snowanna Rainbeau and Swizzle "The Swizz" Malarkey. The former was wearing a purple dress with an orange bow belt around the waist while the latter wore a blue suit jacket with matching trousers, a green long-sleeve collared shirt with matching dress shoes, and an orange bowtie.

"Snowanna! Swizz! When did you guys get here?"

"We've been here for a while, Rancis," Snowanna shrugged in response, "and so were the other racers."

"You mean Gloyd and I were the only ones left?"

"Well..." Swizzle bit his bottom lip, "I wouldn't say that...but yeah."

"Ugh," Rancis groaned and facepalmed himself in dismay, "Sorry, guys. We had some issues getting there."

"Don't worry."

"We understand."

"Forget about it. Everyone else had the same problem," Swizz waved Rancis off, "Where is Gloyd, by the way?"

"He's currently passed out on the front steps of the wedding chapel."

"You just left him there?" Snowanna was taken aback.

"He'll understand. Believe me, after that little landslide a few years ago..."

"Yeesh... How could I forget?" Swizzle nodded in understanding before Snowanna nudged him.

"Did the wedding just start?"

"Not yet. Everybody's just searching for their seats. Come on, there's a section reserved for us near the back...just in front of Ryu and Chun-Li."

As Rancis followed Snowanna and Swizzle to their little faction, he took notice of the guests, who ranged from highly popular games to more obscure, lesser-known titles. However, the group who stood out were the denizens of _Hero's Duty_ themselves. The men and women of the first-person shooter clearly wore standard tuxedos and dresses, but their armored uniforms were so big and bulky that you couldn't even tell. All of them were readying their laser rifles and aiming them at the stained glass window with laser points no less. Judging from their looks and sardonic remarks, it's clear that something like this happened before and were taking preventative measures to avoid repeating history.

"I don't really get why you didn't think to dress up when all your little friends did..."

"When you're the President of an entire video game world, there's a lot of more important stuff to think about dressing fancy..."

Rancis slowed to a stop just as his heart did. In fact, he thought his entire body shut down at the mere sound of her voice. Slowly turning around to the source of it, his eyes widened in sheer, absolute enchantment. The President herself was there talking with Ralph donning a long-sleeved, full-skirted, and glittery gown with lacy white gloves. Her gradient pink petticoat was noticeably covered in pink, white, and red gumdrops while chocolate sprinkles could be seen on the lower end of the petticoat. The skirt had many layers and opens in the front to show a deep pink underskirt. Complementing the gown was a pink flowing cloak and a large high white lace heart collar edged in a cut-out pattern of candy canes and lollipops; she wears another, somewhat smaller, white ruffled collar in addition to the heart-shaped collar. Her hair was tied up in a bun and covered in pink sprinkles. Topping the outfit with a cherry, Vanellope fashioned a ruby red tiana and a pink lollipop scepter with a noticeable crown insignia over it. It was the same dress Vanellope wore when the inhabitants of Sugar Rush had their memories restored.

 _Wow, Vanellope, you still look beautiful after 15 years..._

As Vanellope and Ralph continued, Rancis decided to not join his friends, who never noticed their fellow racer slip away to secretly rendezvous with his secret girlfriend.

 _Where are you going, Rancis...?_

Evidently, the President herself had the same idea...

* * *

 _ **A/N** : __This is meant to be the first in a series of stories that center on the relationship between Vanellope and Rancis. The second story in the main series follows the plotline of **Ralph Breaks The Internet** , but with a few major changes. For those concerned with [spoiler alert] Vanellope going Turbo at the end of the film, my sequel to **The Promise** will try to address that concern with sincerity._

 _•_ _ ** _Captain Alaska_**_ _ _: His stories__ _ ** _"_**_ _ ** _Mercy_**_ _ ** _"_**_ _ _and__ _ ** _"_**_ _ ** _As Long As I Have You_**_ _ ** _"_**_ _ _are the primary bases for my story. (I love both of those stories by the way!)__

 _•_ _ ** _sweetprincess900045_**_ _ _: Her stories are a major influences as well. (BTW, I read your stories__ _ ** _"_**_ _ ** _True Love's Destiny_**_ _ ** _"_**_ _ _and__ _ ** _"_**_ _ ** _Dance With Me_**_ _ ** _"_**_ _ _; I also think they're great!)__

• _**ShinigamiReiko** : Her story **" Thanks To That Wedding"** is a partial influence, with bits of dialogue directly lifted from that story._


End file.
